Monday, July 02, 2007

What's not to like about Robin Hood? I'll steal from the rich and give to a poor bear- me. Stay here, Friar Boo-Boo.

Thanks to Swinebread's tag I have to reveal 8 random facts about myself. I'm not sure what would happen if I don't (hole in the time space continuum? Bush gets third term?) but the consequences are just too unfathomable for me not to take up the challenge.

1) I like Westerns. This is a horrible secret I've only recently come to terms with.

2) My college thesis was on the book What is Philosophy? by Jose Ortega y Gasset.

3) I'm a Duck so it's to my shame that I have Beaver blood running through me and occasionally find myself rooting for their teams.

4) I cheated at Dungeons and Dragons as a kid. I never really "played up" my 30th level bard. Sorry Western Oregon Wargamers.

5) I've volunteered on several political campaigns but it's been years since I have had the time.

6) I once killed a bear with my bare hands. I pummeled him to death while his buddy in the hat and tie made off with my pic-i-nic basket.

7) I've been seriously addicted to coffee since I was eighteen and working in a warehouse.

8) The first girl I ever kissed was from Canada. Nobody believed that story.

Now I tag Overdroid. I know he won't respond because as Swiney mentioned he hates these things but I think it'd just give him an excuse to update his site.

A closet western fan huh... The thing about westerns is there’s no middle ground. Either they’re good or they suck. The storytelling is so delicate that it’s hard to get it right. One thing off and a western can be boring and predictable. But when they work, they are golden. Hey, maybe you should explore what makes a good western periodically on you’re blog. Also what you like about them.

I’ve noticed that I really enjoy genres that are derived from westerns, especially post-apocalyptic stories. They are really westerns in disguise when you break them down. I could sure use a lot more horror westerns though.

Western Oregon Wargamers...now there's a blast from the past. But, yeah, I cheated too. I remember one time the Dean and I went to one of their sessions in the basement of a house in Southeast Portland and I played some 10th level Paladin or something that I'd created the day before. Almost as soon as the game started he was killed. The Dungeon Master was very apologetic. We were about 13 at the time and he apparently thought that I'd spent the better part of my young life campaigning this character to get him to level 10. So at the break, when I was getting a lime Pop Shoppe pop out of the refrigerator, he offered me somme great magic sword to compensate for the loss of my warrior. He was such a nice guy I didn't have the heart to tell him my characters could have any equipment they wanted since I didn't really play D and D by the rules.